Oh my how the time flew by!! Initially, we didn’t have much of a solid plan for places around Colombia that we wanted to visit. All we knew was that we were going to meet some girl riders, eat some great food, hopefully ride some cool spots, see some sights, and get to know the culture.DK Bicycles Colombian distributor Oscar and his wife hosted us for the first week or so, he took us to several parks, and had us sign posters for the locals.

About a week into our trip we got word that a girl rider from Ecuador named Monica heard we were going to be in Bogota, and hopped on a 3 day bus ride just to meet us and come ride with us! Unfortunately, during her travels, there was a bus strike, and she got stuck somewhere half way, and 3 days turned into 7 days until she finally got on a plane to make it. Diana informed us later that Monica had sold her camera to pay for her flight. Anxious for her safe arrival we changed locations to stay with our new friends Diana and her husband Ruper so we could at least get to spend some time with her the last few days of our trip whenever she finally arrived.

Diana and Ruper were great tour guides!! not only did they also make us breakfast every morning, but they pedaled with us all over the city, introduced us to new fruits and breads we don’t have in the states. They even hiked up AND down Montserrate with us! Their 6 year old son Matthew did the hike too 🙂 what a trooper! Our legs were destroyed for the next few days after that one ha!
One of the first days in the van with Oscar..and the posters we had to sign:
We even went to “el salitre” BMX race track, and met some kids who ride for Community BMX’s DK racing team..
It was amazing to see so many kids at the track the few days we went, they were killing it! Some of Colombia’s fastest! ” El dragon” Juan Pablo 8yrs, Linda Rubiano 15yrs, Santiago Suarez “hurricane•

The rest of the time was amazing here are some photos..
🔝 There were not only lots of dogs in the streets but also horses!!!
We hiked up to top of Montserrate and back down, and were sore to walk for days…across from the top was the virgin of Guadalupe, beautiful! Elevation Circa 10K feet!
The crew that made it!! Even 6yr old matthew!!
The view was gorgeous! Lots of beautiful flowers and plants, we even ate some tamales at the top 🙂
Bogota used to be “Santa Fe bocota” the capital of the region now known as Colombia. There’s a lot of history here, a lot of battles and gold! The lake behind Montserrate used to be where El Dorado and several families would throw their wedding offerings into for good luck. At some point in time when the Spaniards arrived and got wind of the gold in the lake, they even tried to take a chunk out of the lake and drain it to get to the gold! To this day you can still see where they attempted it but most of the gold has been recovered and is in the “Museo del Oro” another awesome stop. If you’re interested in the history of metals, jewelry, weapons and trade, this place is awesome! And less than $2 USD to see!

We also stopped in Simon Bolivar’s house at the base of Montserrate. Beautiful beautiful garden..

On Sunday the girl from Ecuador still hasn’t arrived, so we participated in “ciclovia” which is an all day Sunday bike ride. The city closes down a lot of roads just for bicycles from morning until late afternoon. So fun!

La plaza de Bolivar, the capital.. A lot of history here, this is where everyone comes to protest anything and everything.

There isn’t really much of a middle class in Bogota, it’s seemingly poor or super rich.. This plus the government finally compromising some what could be “temporary peace” with the drug guerrillas and terrorists are just a few reasons Bogota hasn’t been very popular for tourists. There is definitely some sketchy areas to avoid, we saw a car in front of us get robbed at a red light, (lock your doors!)..yikes! These areas are easily avoidable if you have the right tour guide..being on the look out, always looking 360 was key to having a safe trip here. “Ojos buenos”

In a nutshell We learned that Colombian people poor or rich, truly have the biggest hearts, and make sacrifices second to no one here in the states. We got to ride some amazing spots, make some amazing friends and learn a lot about Colombia and its history..and food! Oh my gosh the food!!! Everyday there was a new type of mango or fruit I have never heard of that was delicious! Fresh juice on every corner and so cheap!

I definitely need to come back to Colombia!! (When there isn’t a bus strike) we have yet to visit Baranquilla, Girardot, Cali, Cartegena, Sierra Nevada Santa Marta, and the amazons.
Our friends Alejo and Cassie from Chicago drove all over Colombia a week before we arrived and brought us back some “Hormigas De Colona” or famous fried, big-booty ants. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, choked one down, woof! Tasted like crunchy salty popcorn kernel mixed with dirt. Eh, not my favorite.. Somehow didn’t yack.

Colombia is crazy, so much talent, and SO many riders, but sadly, very few will ever afford the visa to visit the USA. Hopefully our friend Diana can find a way! She can bunnyhop higher than most dudes and has a lot of style when it comes to jumping. Keep your eyes peeled for a little video edit of our trip 🙂

Longest blog update for me ever!!! Ha, thanks for reading, quite a gap without wifi to play catch up. Finally home safe in the states, time for SXSW here in Austin..aka Work work work!! Come visit at Shakespeare’s Pub on 6th

Some love and healing vibes for my friend teammate “Maddog” in Colombia:

Man, I just really wanted to say thank you to everyone that sent me get well messages, donated $, and helped me through the broken jaw recovery. I thought I knew how awesome BMX was before, and I never imagined I would be anyone that the community would have to pull together for to help out but man you all saved my ass!! Living “check to check” and with no dental insurance, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have ended up partially toothless and homeless without your help! So I just wanted to say thank you, it means so much that so many people care and from all over the world! (French fries crew Ouis Ouis!) Good karma does come back your way eventually!!
Okay okay enough cheese sorry ha!
My good friend, teammate Etnies BMX and DK Bicycles Brian Kachinsky auctioned off his bike yesterday on EBay to help me with my dental bills! So freakin awesome!! It sold for enough to cover most of my one tooth that got broken in half during the crash that makes my mouth like an electric fence if I’m not careful how and what I eat. I can’t wait to get that fixed!! Thanks B!
Homie Matt D Legacy Merch printed some “Nina B” shirts to help as well. Originally for the Trail Pirate site Halloween Jam at 9th street, now available at Empire BMX

I am almost done with this gnarly stuff! Apparently the dental rinse they gave me while my jaw was wired was really good anti microbial rinse but it turned my teeth brown almost grey! At least after last dentist visit and a good cleaning I can smile with a lot more confidence 🙂 hooray for payment plans!
So far just need to wait a few months to see if my bottom front teeth will stay alive or if they will die and have to go..and get a few crowns and fillings so can finally chew without pain. If anyone needs some good tips or blender recipes send me a message! I am more than happy to share!
My best friend back in NY is a school teacher who shared my crash with her students and they sent me some rad get well art work! Thank you Ms.Suchan’s class!! Xoxo